Of Monsters and Men
by TimeCatcher
Summary: Bruce Banner is "The Hulk" but, can he realize that he's not a monster? Edan Grier is recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to work with him. Loki's crazy, and a little bit of an attention whore.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is my first fanfic. I have plenty of Loki feels, but then suddenly- BAM I got Banner feels. I hope you like it!

Enjoy! :)

Of Monsters and Men 

_Chapter 1:Watching The Fire Burn _

_Three years had passed since "the incident," as he liked to call it. Dr. Bruce Banner was wandering the streets of Manhattan; he was searching for some sort of solace from the withering thoughts that were consuming his mind. For some strange reason, the frustration and pain seemed to fade away with the harsh burning sensation of alcohol._

_It was only six in the evening._

_He passed a pawn shop on his way back to his ramshackle apartment on the edge of the city, stopping to browse the windows. "Hell," he thought, "what else have I got to do?" He was greeted by an elderly man with a big, gap-toothed smile. Bruce looked around the shop, memorizing every item. On his third walk around, his eyes fell on something. Something cold, dazzling. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on. The old man noticed Bruce's awestruck look, and he offered to put the apparatus in a "more forgiving light." Of course, Bruce obliged, knowing full well that he was going to buy it. After a bit of debating, Bruce purchased his gem for a mere $200.00._

_As he walked home, Bruce felt accomplished. He hadn't felt that way in such a long time. He had a problem, and now he'd found the solution. It was simple, really; he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. In any event, it didn't matter now._

_He reached his door, went inside and placed his new purchase on the couch. He removed his shirt and pants, folding them neatly, and placed them on his coffee table. His shoes and socks came off next; he placed the socks inside of the shoes and set them parallel to the front right leg of the couch. He made his way to the bathroom, where he took out his razor and shaving cream. He had a slight five-o'-clock shadow, which he quickly and precisely removed. He splashed his face with water and patted his face dry. He combed his wavy brown hair and opened the medicine cabinet. There it was. His best friend. He dumped the contents of the container out and counted them. Thirteen, thirteen little blue pills. He placed the cap back on the bottle and put it back in the medicine cabinet._

_He swallowed the pills quickly, and went back to the living room. _

_...page break..._

Edan Grier woke with a start. She didn't know why, but she had a sense that she wasn't home alone. She quietly slipped from beneath the covers and padded over to the light switch. She thought better of it, as her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. She opened the door a bit- just enough to get her slight frame through. "Shit," she thought. The best way to approach this was to use the element of surprise. Down one step, and she hoisted herself onto the banister. She descended the stairs with such elegance, it could put Queen Elizabeth to shame. "Finally," said a gruff voice from the bottom of the staircase. Edan kept sliding down the banister. She was prepared to fight. "Miss Grier, I'm Nick Fu-," his words were interrupted by a swift kick to the jaw. He sighed heavily and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Well, that went differently than I expected," he stated coldly. "Miss Grier, I am not here to harm you or cause you any grief."

"Right. So, what do you want?"

"I'm Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he paused at her confused look, "it's a government organization that deals with just about everything." She gave him a bored look, and waved her hand in a, "please, do go on" way. His mouth formed a straight line, making him look more like a toad than an angry Shaft. "I've come here to offer you a position at S.H.I.E.L.D."

Edan held her head in her hands, and sighed. "Alright. Let me pack a bag first," she said as she rose to her feet. "Do you want to know what the position is," Fury questioned. "No, because if I don't take it you'll either keep bothering me or kill me," Edan stated bluntly.

Edan had never seen anything so high-tech before. This ship was seriously decked out. She stood where she was and marveled at the sheer intensity of the ship. "Damn," she whispered. "Miss Grier? If you'll follow me please," a man she learned to be Agent Coulson said. She muttered a sorry, before catching up with him.

Inside, Agent Coulson led her to the control room in the front of the ship. She saw Director Fury in the middle steering the ship. Did he ever _not_ look angry? Agent Coulson directed her towards the left of the room. They turned into a hallway and came to a door. Agent Coulson opened the door and they entered the room. Edan's hazel eyes went wide as she looked around the room. She couldn't believe it—she was in the room as _the_ Iron Man, _the _Black Widow, and _the _Captain America.

And then, she saw _him_. The genius of all geniuses. He was wearing a purple shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His grey pants were a little baggy, yet they still seemed distinguished. "Dr. Bruce Banner," she sighed internally. She could feel her cheeks reddening at the feeling of being in such close proximity to all of the badassery. Suddenly, she was glad she'd opted to wear her long-sleeved green tunic and houndstooth tights; they covered her from head to toe, allowing no one to see how red her skin really was becoming.

"Phil, who's this? Ooh, is this the cellist," Tony Stark's acerbic voice interrupted her train of thought. Agent Coulson gave him a warning look before speaking, "Everyone, this is Edan Grier. She'll be working with Dr. Banner, and unfortunately for her, Mr. Stark." Steve let out a small chuckle as Tony clapped his hand on Banner's shoulder and winked at Edan, "Lucky us." Edan eked out a small, "Hi there," before Agent Coulson slipped out the door.

Edan glanced around the room, taking it all in. She couldn't believe she was here.

"Edan? Mm. Oh, I know—Little Red," Tony interrupted her again. She figured he was going to do this on a regular basis, so she let it slide. Tony came up to Edan, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Well, I know you already know who I am," he winked (she was beginning to wonder if it was a tic). He then proceeded to introduce her personally to everyone. She gave a little awkward wave to them, receiving a curt nod from Natasha and a, "Ma'am," from Steve. When Tony pivoted her to Bruce, she was caught a little off-guard.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Grier," Bruce said with a quiet smile. Edan was flabbergasted. She pushed the little amount of fire engine red hair she had behind her ear. "I- um- it's really great to meet you, Dr. Banner," she managed to stammer. "I'm a huge fan of your work with gamma radiation," she smiled warmly, regaining her confidence.

"So, Little Red, what's your story," Tony asked.

She chuckled softly, "My story? It's not exactly a fun tale to tell."

Everyone was looking at her now. She sighed. "Now I have to share," she thought.

"Well, it happened when I was twelve," she paused, gathering her thoughts. "How old are you now," Tony asked curiously. "Let her talk, would you Stark," Steve said as he glared at Tony. "Sorry, sweet cheeks," he retorted, "I'm just curious. She doesn't look older than 25."

"I actually am 25," Edan said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension. "Anyway, I was twelve," she continued, "and I was asleep in bed. I heard a crash downstairs, so naturally I had to go investigate. I crept down the stairs… and, I saw my parents huddling in the corner of the living room. I started to walk into the room, and saw a man hovering above them. He was really tall. He, uh, he turned around and saw me standing there. It was the creepiest thing, he smiled at me. But, his smile was scary as hell; it was like he knew who I was. So, he turned back to my parents and then this really weird green light flashed. It knocked me across the room. All I remember seeing before I blacked out was my parents literally erode in front of me," she paused and let out a shaky breath, "When I came to, the man was hovering over me. He called me 'little phoenix.' Then, he was gone. I left home and kept running. And, when I turned sixteen, I had some issues with the police. I got arrested, and was pretty pissed. I broke out of the cell. Apparently, I had developed some sort of-affinity, I guess you could call it—for fire."

Tony had his lips pursed; Steve looked like his brain was going to implode. Natasha's reaction didn't surprise her, only a raised eyebrow. Bruce's reaction, however, was odd. His eyes were glassy, and his mouth was a straight line.

The room remained silent for a good while before Tony blurted out, "So, are you some kind of fire-bender?" He made mock tai chi movements with his hands. Edan smirked, "Wanna see a magic trick, kids?" Banner seemed to snap out of his stupor at those words, "What exactly can you do?" Edan smiled, "Would you all please stand at the wall facing me?" They got up and moved to the wall. Edan closed her eyes, "One… two…three," she counted in her head.

Her skin turned the color of her fire engine hair. Her hair stood up and turned into flames, she snapped her eyes open. Edan held her hand out in front of her and a blue flame appeared. She walked closer to the wall behind her, leaving smoking footprints behind her.

"Holy shit," Tony exclaimed. Edan then placed her hand on the wall and it burst into flames. The flames spread to all the walls except for the one facing her. She moved her hand to the side and the flames followed suit. "Oh my God, that is fucking awesome," Tony shouted. She smiled, and fire streamed from her fingertips. She walked over to Banner, whose mouth was hanging open in complete shock. She raised her hand, and she saw Natasha tense up. "Don't worry," Edan said calmly, "it won't hurt him." Edan placed her hand on Bruce's cheek. It too became consumed by the fire. "How? I mean, what? It feels like ice," he said, surprise drenching his voice. "Well, I can make it feel like the pits of hell, if you'd prefer," Edan laughed.

"Do me next," Tony demanded, childlike. Edan blew the fire out on Bruce's cheek, and then moved to Tony's. He let out a squeal, similar to that of a little boy. Edan laughed, thinking he was more of a man-child than a man.

Of course, that's when Agent Coulson walked into the room. He looked at them all, and shook his head.

"Miss Grier," he said straight forwardly.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

She snapped her fingers and all the fire went out. Her hair became its normal fire engine color, and her skin returned to its pale white. "Captain," Agent Coulson said, turning his attention to Steve, "we've got him. Suit up. Natasha, you're up."

"Aw, what about me," Tony pouted. Agent Coulson just opened the door for Natasha and Steve. Just before he left he said, "Dr. Banner, you, Miss Grier, and Mr. Stark should return to your lab." He shut the door abruptly.

"Screw that," Tony said and walked out of the room, followed by Banner and a confused Edan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Woop woop! Alright, chapter two is here! Sorry about the delay…. I've been really busy. _–slinks away from tumblr-_ Anyhow, I wanted to thank you guys for the reviews, favorites, and followings. I didn't expect anybody to read this, so I'm really grateful. Also, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'll try not to get so distracted next time. xP**

**P.S. – _Italics_ in this chapter are Edan's dream. :)**

* * *

_Chapter 2: Family Ties _

Tony continued walking past the lab, calling out, "You kids play nice!" Bruce just shook his head. "Well, I don't know about you but I've had enough excitement for the day," Bruce said, turning to leave. Edan smiled and watched him walk down the hallway. "Wait," she yelled out, a little flustered, "um—I don't know where my room is. Could you show me?" Bruce turned around and waited for her to catch up to him. "Did Phil give you a layout of the bedrooms?" he asked. Edan pulled the folded piece of paper from her bra and saw Bruce blush. "Sorry. No pockets," she said quietly, feeling her own cheeks flare up. She handed him the map and he pointed out everyone's rooms. "Looks like you're across the hall from me. Sorry if I snore," he chuckled quietly. Edan gave him a small smile in response before saying, "G'night!"

Edan closed her door and flopped onto her bed; so much had happened in the past few hours! She smashed a pillow to her face and screamed. "That's better," she said to herself. Apparently, someone had already brought her things to her room. She got up and peeled her clothes off and quickly throwing on an oversized t-shirt, she climbed into bed. Her mind was whirling from the day's events. It wasn't long until she fell into a restless sleep. Her dreams consisted of the feeling of being watched and poked and prodded. She woke up a few times, thinking someone was in the room with her. Looking around, she didn't see anyone; she still felt uneasy, though. After awhile, she nodded off again. This time, she dreamt of her parents.

_Edan was asleep, well, trying to sleep. She heard a loud crash from downstairs and she froze in her bed. Maybe she should go check on her parents? Nah, they're fine. But what if they aren't? She hopped out of her bed and crept quietly to her door. The hallway was void of any light, but it didn't matter- her eyes had always been able to see better in the dark. As she made her way down the hall, she could hear a hushed voice from below. _

_She came to the top of the staircase. She knew that it would be her luck that she'd fall down the stairs. So instead, she swung her leg over the banister and slowly slid down. When she got to the bottom step she silently hopped down and became a statue of a twelve year old girl. There was a man in her living room, hovering over her parents. _

_"My, what a pity. So young to be so very… dead," the man mused._

_Edan locked eyes with her mother. She was crying, and looked terrified. Her mother's eyes widened in shock and horror as she saw the man slowly turn on his heel and face Edan. Edan didn't like the way he looked at her. It was like a lion stalking its prey. He cracked a crooked smile and moved towards her. Suddenly his hands were around her neck with a vice-like grip. He leaned down and whispered, "You are the reason your parents are going to die." Before she had a chance to scream or give any sort of response, the man threw her across the room. She felt a darkness surrounding her, inviting her in. _

_Suddenly, the darkness became a bright green flash. Edan snapped her eyes open. The strange man was enveloped in a glowing emerald light. Her eyes flickered over to where her parents were. Their bodies seemed to pull away from themselves. It was like they were being sucked forward. The scream that came from her mother was distorted by the suction-like force. Edan tried to scream, but all that came out was a warped breath. She tried to stand, but she was pinned to her spot. The man turned to her again, and calmly walked forward. He bent down to her level; she could feel his breath on her neck. _

_"Don't worry, you'll never get the revenge you desire," he whispered all too sweetly. _

"_W-who are you," she managed to stutter. _

"_You'll know in time, my little phoenix." _

With those words, Edan awoke. Her room was pitch black, and her eyes were blurry. "What the hell?" she thought. She brought her hand to her eyes and realized she'd been crying. She then became very aware that she wasn't in her room by herself. She tensed.

"Edan?" Oh, it was just Bruce. "Uh, are you alright? I heard screaming and crying coming from your room."

"Um, yeah, I was just having a bad dream," she sniffed, "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Oh, I wasn't asleep anyway. Do you—do you want to talk about it? I find that if I talk about things I tend not to explode… as much," he smiled sheepishly.

Edan didn't know why, but she suddenly felt like crying. And that's exactly what she did. She became a sloppy mess of tears and emotions, telling Bruce how much she missed her parents and how scarred the whole event had left her. Bruce pulled her into his arms and rocked her gently, whispering words of comfort to her. She clung to him like a child, sobbing. His t-shirt was soaked through with her tears.

She liked the way his arms felt around her. Protective. She quieted to hiccups after awhile, and pulled back. "I- I'm sorry," she stammered.

"It's okay, really," he replied. Edan looked up into his eyes and saw the strangest thing. His eyes were brimming with tears. They happened into a silent staring match, each of them with an enormous amount of hurt in their eyes.

"Thank you, Bruce."

"You're welcome, Edan," he smiled at her warmly. Edan leaned in and gave him a hug.

"Miss Grier," Agent Coulson said, opening the door. He gave them a look that said, "I'm judging you so much right now."

"Miss Grier. Dr. Banner. Fury needs you in the lab immediately," he left abruptly, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Well, I guess we should get dressed," Edan stated matter-of-factly.

"I guess we should," Bruce blushed. He stood to go, and it was then that she realized that he was in his boxers. She felt her cheeks flush and heard herself gasp.

"Hmm," Bruce asked, reaching the door.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, "I'll, uh, I'll see you in a minute."

He smiled at the floor, "Okay."

"Well," she thought. She quickly pulled her clothes back on, running out to meet Bruce.

* * *

**Ta-da! I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Also, reviews are always welcome. Anyway, I tried to publish this a week ago. As you can see, that didn't work out. I was out of town for a week- with no internet. _-creys-_ But, I'm currently tweaking chapter three. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Danger Arrives _

Edan followed Bruce to the lab, wondering what could be so important that Fury needed them immediately. When they entered, they were greeted by an eerie silence. "Where is everyone," Edan thought aloud. Bruce simply shrugged and went about checking gamma levels. They couldn't have been in the lab for more than fort-five minutes when she heard heavy footsteps in the corridor. They both looked up at the same time. From the window they could see at least five guards; in the middle of them was a tall man. He walked with such elegance and grace that Edan was taken aback for a moment. It was then that the man turned his attention towards her. It was the oddest thing, he smiled at her. A knowing smile that made her hair stand on end. She didn't like it. Bruce shuffled on his feet, a little uncomfortable.

As the guards shoved the man along, Edan noticed how regal he looked (even if he was a bit disheveled). His shoulder-length black hair was slicked black, and stuck up at the ends. He had on what looked like armor, but it was mainly leather. Green and black leather—a good color combination in Edan's book. Finally, she turned her attention back to Bruce.

"Who was that guy?" Bruce shook his head, "I don't know. Must be somebody important if Fury wants him on the ship." They fell into a companionable silence before Edan broke it, "So, about earlier… uh, I… thanks." Bruce paused with his work to look up at her, "It's fine. I've had my fair share of… difficulties in life. I understand why you were so upset." Edan wanted to know more, but she didn't want to push. She opted for a simple and vague, "Oh?"

Bruce seemed hesitant, but continued. "Well, I didn't—I didn't have a very good childhood. My father was abusive. He, um, he used to hit my mother and me," he paused to adjust his glasses, and he noticed that Edan had furrowed her brows. "My mother, she was a saint," he placed his hands on the lab table, shifting his weight, "God, I miss her. She died when I was still a kid. My father," he let out a strangled, sardonic laugh at the word father, "he… he killed her. So, of course my father was arrested. After college, I started working with gamma radiation," he paused, uncertain. "And you already know about the accident. The rest as they say is history." Edan could tell there was more to his story, but she was fighting back tears as it was. Why anybody would want to hurt someone as gentle as Bruce, she didn't know. She wasn't sure if she could handle any more. She placed a reassuring hand on his, and gave him a sad smile. "But, enough about me. I'd like to know more about your fire power," Bruce quickly changed the subject. "How can you change it from hot to cold? How do you not get burned?"

"I honestly don't know. When I got arrested, I was so mad. So mad at myself, at my parents, at everything. I guess it just sort of triggered it. I've been working with it over the years and when I'm happy or excited, the fire turns cold. When I'm angry it's hot. It's weird, always makes me feel like a freak," she shrugged nonchalantly. She thought she heard him say something else, but was interrupted by none other than Agent Coulson. "Fury needs you." He turned to the door and waited for them to follow. They met the rest of the group in a room, seated around a table except for a rather large blonde-haired man. Edan looked around the room and noted they all wore wary looks on their faces.

Tony, who was arguing with Steve, looked up and saw Edan. "Hey, Little Red! Would you mind telling Old Man Smithers here that it's perfectly normal to play music when fighting?" Edan looked at him skeptically, "Whatever you say, Tony." He chuckled, "See? Why can't you be more like Edan?" Fury entered the room and gave Tony a pointed look. "Has everybody met our newest guest," Fury asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Tony piped up, "No, Brucie-boy and Little Red haven't." The blonde man took his cue and turned to Bruce and Edan, "I am Thor Odinson, God of Thunder." Bruce stretched out his hand, seemingly unfazed, "Bruce Banner." Thor took his hand and gave it a hearty shake. Edan wasn't sure how to approach a god when meeting them for the first time, s she decided it would be best to be bold. "Hi there, I'm Edan Grier. Nice to meetcha," it took her a moment to realize what he was doing. He bent down and kissed her hand, "Lady Edan," he said warmly. She could feel her face become hot. She giggled nervously and looked at her feet.

Fury crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. "Now that we're done with pleasantries, can somebody please tell me why the hell Thor's brother has decided to attack us?" Everyone turned to Thor, "Loki's troubled. He does not feel welcome in our home, Asgard. I fear he may be trying to anger our father." Natasha spoke up then, "He killed eighty people in two days." Thor paused, "He's adopted." Edan had to stifle a laugh. This Loki guy had a serious case of the red-headed stepchild syndrome.

"So, by troubled you mean he's crazy, right," Tony asked. "Do not talk of Loki in that manner! There is nothing wrong with his mental state! He just likes attention," Thor warned. "Okay, okay. He just needs a hug." Fury sighed heavily, "We need to put Loki in his cell. Banner, you can go back to the lab. Everyone else follow me."

They shuffled out into the hall, and down into the room where Loki's holding cell was. Fury was talking to Loki, who was now staring with a bored expression on his face. Edan wasn't paying much attention to any of it. Something kept nagging at her brain. His face was so familiar to her. Where had she seen him before? And then they locked eyes, and he smiled. It was a smile of a predator stalking its prey. She felt a sickening sensation in her stomach as she realized what it was; he was the man who killed her parents. She stared at him, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, she was all too aware that everyone's eyes were on her. "What," she offered. "Loki was speaking to you. When were you going to tell us you knew him," Fury asked, perturbed. "I don—," she was cut off by Loki, "Oh yes, we've known each other for years. Haven't we, my little phoenix?" Thor spoke up, confused, "Brother, how is it that you know Lady Edan? I was under the impression that you did not associate with Midgardians." Loki gave Thor a seething glare, "I am not your _brother_. I believe the gracious Lady Edan can answer your question." Thor turned to her, with an expectant look on his face. "He killed my parents," she said meekly.

"Ah, but I also did something else for you. I can't imagine you've forgotten," Loki interjected with a feral smirk. Edan immediately knew what he meant, "You—you bastard! You made me like this? I'm a freak because of you!" She had tears streaming down her face. Loki looked like he was going to explode, "How dare you address me in that way! I am a God! You were nothing more than a burden to your parents. You should be grateful I chose to let you live." Edan made garbled noise in her throat, "Fuck you." She stormed out, but she could hear him laughing. He was laughing at her, at her pain. Edan never liked violence, but she had never wanted to cause someone harm so much in her life.

As she was stalking down the hall, she ran into Bruce. Bruce helped her to her feet, noticing that she was crying. He didn't even ask her what was wrong, he just hugged her. She calmed herself and pulled away from him. "It's him, isn't it," he said quietly. Edan nodded, trying not to show any emotion. He turned to leave, but Edan caught his arm, "You were saying something before we left the lab. Was it something important?" He blinked at her, "I said you were beautiful." Edan's mouth fell open. "WHAT," she thought.

She didn't have time to think any further because suddenly his mouth was on hers. It was sweet and warm, and she felt herself melt into it.


End file.
